Section 1. Purpose and Policy. Endemic vagrancy, disorderly behavior, sudden confrontations, and violent attacks have made our cities unsafe. The number of individuals living on the streets in the United States on a single night during the last year of the previous administration — 274,224 — was the highest ever recorded. The overwhelming majority of these individuals are addicted to drugs, have a mental health condition, or both. Nearly two-thirds of homeless individuals report having regularly used hard drugs like methamphetamines, cocaine, or opioids in their lifetimes. An equally large share of homeless individuals reported suffering from mental health conditions. The Federal Government and the States have spent tens of billions of dollars on failed programs that address homelessness but not its root causes, leaving other citizens vulnerable to public safety threats.
Shifting homeless individuals into long-term institutional settings for humane treatment through the appropriate use of civil commitment will restore public order. Surrendering our cities and citizens to disorder and fear is neither compassionate to the homeless nor other citizens. My Administration will take a new approach focused on protecting public safety.
Sec. 2. Restoring Civil Commitment. (a) The Attorney General, in consultation with the Secretary of Health and Human Services, shall take appropriate action to:
(i) seek, in appropriate cases, the reversal of Federal or State judicial precedents and the termination of consent decrees that impede the United States’ policy of encouraging civil commitment of individuals with mental illness who pose risks to themselves or the public or are living on the streets and cannot care for themselves in appropriate facilities for appropriate periods of time; and
(ii) provide assistance to State and local governments, through technical guidance, grants, or other legally available means, for the identification, adoption, and implementation of maximally flexible civil commitment, institutional treatment, and “step-down” treatment standards that allow for the appropriate commitment and treatment of individuals with mental illness who pose a danger to others or are living on the streets and cannot care for themselves.
What is the definition of-
individuals with mental illness who pose risks to themselves or the public
the identification, adoption, and implementation of maximally flexible civil commitment
appropriate facilities
appropriate periods of time
Taken in context with their suggestion that the homeless have used a drug during their lifetime, it open ends the criteria to everyone. Do you know anyone who has not done a chemical deemed illicit by the federal government at some point in their life? Remember that the feds still consider marijuana to be a schedule one drug.
They then immediately drop the requirement for the individual being identified to be homeless. The line is “individuals with mental illness who pose risks to themselves or the public or are living on the streets and cannot care for themselves.” By their wording and the inclusion of lines like this, it would appear that they consider drug use to be a mental illness.
Since there is no legally defined definition of appropriate, this is an indefinite detention order that could reasonably be expected to span a natural lifetime if deemed appropriate.
By all means, read the whole order for yourself and if you believe i am mistaken here, put it in the comments below.